We are publishing an excerpt from the article written by our Brother Guillome from Brussels and published in two newspapers, one French and one Belgian, to make Fra Elia known in Belgium and France.
What struck me most about him is not the visible gifts the Lord has given him, but the importance Fra Elia gives to prayer.When testifying in Italy or abroad, FraElia insists that it is essential for believers to devote, every day, at least 10 minutes of prayer to Our Lord: with his usual simplicity and pragmatism, he explains that Our Lord, who has given us life and sustains us in His Love, is waiting for us at every moment to sustain us and make us live with His Grace. But are we present to the One who is present?
We must not weep, he often repeats, “we must not despair of our pain. We must react to form new positive energies, so strong as to eradicate evil…. Our sadness and despair consume the energy of prayers that should serve the common good.” He recalls what Pope Francis emphasized in his book “The Power of Prayer”: “Prayer is the breath of the Christian, and we cannot stop breathing.” For Fra Elia, prayer is a daily sharing of one’s own with God, in different but necessary and vital forms for the spiritual growth of each person during his earthly pilgrimage.
That is why every year, he opens the doors of his convent on the second weekend of September and invites all people of good will to come and pray to the Blessed Virgin Mary for the needs of the world and to thank her for her constant maternal protection. On that occasion, Fra Elia reminded and explained to the faithful present the need to pray first for others, to present to the Virgin Mary the sufferings of others, the sick, children suffering in hospitals, young people in the grip of drugs and alcohol, the elderly, and asked them to pray for the political leaders of this world, the Church, the Pope and consecrated persons. “It is the power of intercessory prayer that can change everything. By praying in this way for others, we receive many graces for ourselves and our family members,” he repeated without tiring.
He often reminds the faithful present, “Do you realize how many times you have already received graces? It was not luck, it was not coincidence…these are graces willed by the Lord for you! And how do you respond? Do you thank the Lord for all that ?” And every year, on the last weekend of the month, from Saturday morning to Sunday evening, Fra Elia receives pilgrims from all over the world…it is one intense time of prayer, hundreds of prayers, rosaries are raised to Heaven to implore the graces of the Lord, numerous are the testimonies of graces, peace and joy of those who participate.
Whether it is rosaries, consecrations, specific prayers (psalms, special requests, a month of prayer dedicated to a particular saint, etc.), praise, a time of prayer and/or worship, fasting, offering to the Lord our sorrows or problems, thanksgiving for His creation, meditation on God and His works, it is good to set aside time for prayer. The Lord has taught us to pray for our own good, just as a person who does not eat for a long time lacks energy, so a Christian who does not pray lacks the spiritual energy to face the world, dies spiritually and falls ill easily.
So let us arm ourselves with good will and find time to pray even as little as 5min a day to return to the Way, the Truth and the Life, which is Jesus Christ.